Understanding Standards

UL Standards development covers more than just products; it also includes testing of systems and services. And, while we're widely known for our work with safety standards, UL develops a wide variety of standards to measure and validate performance, environmental health and sustainability.

NEW AND REVISED STANDARDS: WHEN AND WHY

Evolving technology and advancements in how to address safety and sustainability issues obviously require new standards or the revision of existing standards. UL's Standards development process calls for us to incorporate new requirements into an existing Standard whenever possible. Where a stand-alone set of requirements is needed, a new standard may be developed.

The Overview of UL Standards video below highlights how standards are developed, standards drivers and considerations for the future.

CONTINUOUS MAINTENANCE

ANSI, the American National Standards Institute, a private nonprofit organization that coordinates and administers the U.S. voluntary standards and conformity assessment system, provides two options for the maintenance of American National Standards (ANS); periodic maintenance and continuous maintenance. The continuous maintenance method is our default process for managing UL's ANSI Standards.
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Accessing UL Standards